Day: August 25, 2011

By HERB SWETT For the Keizertimes Manager Tom Trebelhorn stirred things up, and so did his players by taking Saturday night’s game to 11 innings, but the Volcanoes lost 5-4, giving the Emeralds a sweep of all the 2011 games the two clubs played in Eugene. Trebelhorn put several reserves in his starting lineup, including left fielder Leonardo Ochoa, who hit the only home run of the game in the first inning. The manager also got himself thrown out of the game in the inning for whatever he said to base umpire Travis Eggerts, who had called Payne out trying to steal third base. He then berated plate umpire Matthew Czajak, ripped off his batting helmet, kicked it several times, and shook hands with the players in the Emeralds dugout before leaving PK Park. Shawn Payne led off the first inning with a single to center field and was caught stealing second. Ochoa then hit his home run over the right center field fence. The next two batters were retired, and Salem-Keizer had a 1-0 lead, which it kept until the bottom of the fourth. Casey McElroy led off the Eugene fourth with a double to center, the first hit off starting pitcher Cameron Lamb. Duanel Jones reached first on an error by shortstop John Eshleman, with McElroy going to third. A wild pitch moved Jones to second, and...

The Keizer Urban Renewal Agency voted not to fund a joint visitors-transit facility at Keizer Station. The split “no” vote came after earlier in the evening the Keizer Urban Renewal Board unanimously recommended to fund neither construction nor design. The board is tasked with making recommendations to the agency. The vote was two – Mayor Lore Christopher and Councilor Cathy Clark – in favor, with Councilors David McKane, Mark Caillier, Jim Taylor and Brandon Smith voting no. Councilor Joe Egli was absent. Councilors had the option of funding construction of a joint transit-visitors building up to $500,000; voting to fund design but not construction; allocating up to $30,000 to assist the Keizer Chamber of Commerce in opening its own visitors center, or funding nothing. Merely participating in design was one of the recommendations made by city staffers, who in a memorandum warned the agency – which consists of the Keizer City Council’s members – that outstanding local improvement district debt at Keizer Station could come out of city coffers in the future. Developer Chuck Sides is more than $800,000 behind in local improvement district assessment payments. Christine Dieker, the chamber’s executive director, said such a center would point visitors toward River Road businesses. “When somebody stops off the road and they say maybe I want something to eat and it’s not pizza – do you have a good Italian...

By JASON COX Of the Keizertimes As might be predicted Congressman Kurt Schrader’s “fiscal” town hall Wednesday morning at the Keizer Civic Center was heavy on the numbers. The second-term Democrat told a packed crowd eliminating tax breaks for the country’s wealthiest companies and people would have to be included with spending cuts to keep the federal government from careening further into debt. He said some $1.1 trillion in potential federal revenue goes out the door in deductions. And while some had value, others would have to go, he said. “Bottom line is we’re giving away half of what’s collected,” Schrader said. “And that’s why we can’t afford a whole heck of a lot.” The congressman also noted Medicare spending has increasingly come from the general fund rather than payroll deductions and employer contributions. He said some 42 percent is coming from general taxes. And while Social Security spending isn’t rising dramatically, revenue will become an increasingly severe problem. The ratio of workers to recipients has dropped from 16 to 1 in 1950 to 3 to 1 in 2011 and is projected to go to 2 to 1 in 2035, the congressman said, and its trust fund drops every year. “If we do not do anything, Social Security will have to be cut by 2036,” he said. Negotiations from the August debt ceiling debate created a Supercommittee evenly divided...